Grojband: the Pick of Destiny
by HiroLemonFan
Summary: This Lego Movie parody follows Corey Riffin, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average preteen who discovers he's the most gifted person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Corey is happy to take part in.
1. Peaceville Life

A twelve-year-old boy named Cornelius Trevor Riffin woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. With a groan, he slammed a fist onto the black box. Then he got out of bed, finding himself repeating the same-old morning routine.

"Another day, another stinking repeat of my life..." Corey muttered. He had been living alone in his home ever since his parents and sister disappeared seven years ago. And thanks to Mayor Mellow, he had no choice but to be as obedient as everyone else in Peaceville.

So Corey started his day the same way he always did. After taking a quick shower, he got dressed in his usual look (a black and white concert shirt, orange shorts, and blue and white tennis shoes with white socks sticking out) and fixed up his pale brown hair, completing the look with favorite orange beanie. And while he ate breakfast, Corey sat down on the living room couch to see if there was _anything_ good on. But of course, Mayor Mellow was making an announcement.

**"Hello, I am Mayor Mellow, your beloved mayor. Make sure you remember to obey all rules, or I will have no choice but to extract you from the population. Oh, and don't forget that Footlong Friday is coming this week. Free footlong sandwiches to all good citizens."**

Those words were engraved into Corey's brain. Not the sandwich thing, but the constant death threat. "And three, two, one..." he muttered to himself.

**"Don't miss tonight's episode of Geeks and Girls!"**

Corey turned off his TV just as they were going to advertise a clip from the episode. He hated Geeks and Girls. It started off alright, but when it became suddenly popular after five seasons, it became focused on the secondary lead star who wasn't even funny anymore. The worst part? It was the only show on every single TV network. He quickly learned that the show's mere existence was to make everyone else in Peaceville forget about Mayor Mellow's death threat.

With nothing else to do, Corey stood up, strapped his red-orange electric guitar to his back, and left his house. As he walked over to the music studio, he saw all the other locals smiling and doing their usual things. "What a bunch of sheep..." he muttered to himself. He felt like the only person in Peaceville who knew the truth. He just kept on obeying because he wanted to live.

* * *

Eventually, Corey arrived at the music studio. "Hey guys," he said in a dull tone.

"About time you got here, Corey!" the drummer said. "We're about to go live!"

"Yeah, I know," Corey said, getting in position. "I've been doing this for the past few years."

"Alright everyone," the band manager said. "Let's give everyone good music like we usually do. Remember to follow your scripts. And...action!"

Women Singers: _Everything is awesome  
Everything is cool when you're part of a team  
Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream_

_Everything is better when we stick together  
Side by side, you and I gonna win forever, let's party forever  
We're the same, I'm like you, you're like me, we're all working in harmony_

_Everything is awesome  
Everything is cool when you're part of a team  
Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream_

Male Singer: _Have you heard the news, everyone's talking  
Life is good 'cause everything's awesome  
Lost my job, it's a new opportunity  
More free time for my awesome community_

_I feel more awesome than an awesome opossum  
Dip my body in chocolate frostin'  
Three years later, washed out the frostin'  
Smellin' like a blossom, everything is awesome  
Stepped in mud, got new brown shoes  
It's awesome to win, and it's awesome to lose (it's awesome to lose)_

Women Singers: _Everything is better when we stick together  
Side by side, you and I, gonna win forever, let's party forever  
We're the same, I'm like you, you're like me, we're all working in harmony_

_Everything is awesome  
Everything is cool when you're part of a team  
Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream_

Male Singer: _Blue skies, bouncy springs  
We just named two awesome things  
A nobel prize, a piece of string  
You know what's awesome, everything_

_Dogs and fleas, allergies, a book of Greek antiquities  
Brand new pants, a very old vest  
Awesome items are the best_

_Trees, frogs, clogs  
They're awesome  
Rocks, clocks, and socks  
They're awesome  
Figs, and jigs, and twigs  
That's awesome  
Everything you see, or think, or say  
...Is awesome_

*Instrumental*

Women Singers: _Everything is awesome  
Everything is cool when you're part of a team  
Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream_

That was the only song Corey and the musicians played. Worst of all, Corey himself was the one who wrote the lyrics. He was fully aware that his own creative genius was being used to make sure everyone in Peaceville had a sheeplike mindset.

But this musician had a creative spark. Corey wrote songs of his own design. He wanted his voice to be heard throughout the town. He just had to obey Mayor Mellow's rules or he would be dead. So he was stuck in the studio, forcing himself to play the same notes for hours.

* * *

**That Evening...**

"And that's a wrap!" the band manager announced. "Nice work everyone!"

As Corey strapped his guitar to his back, he overheard his bandmates chatting.

"I'm going to Bealchi's after work tonight. Who wants to eat some delicious chicken wings and celebrate?"

"Who wants to share a croissant with me?"

"I actually prefer giant sausages."

Just as Corey was about to leave with the others, he heard a whoosh sound and saw a flash of red in the corner of his eye. "I'll stay here and lock up for the night," he said. He knew no one paid attention to him, but he didn't care. Right now, he wanted to figure out what he just saw.

* * *

In the studio's alleyway, Corey saw a girl search through the rubble. "Hey, you!" he called out. "What are you doing here?!"

The girl didn't respond.

Frustrated with no reply, Corey walked over to the girl. "Didn't you hear me?" he asked. "I said, what are you-"

But when Corey forcefully turned the girl around, he found himself silent. The girl wasn't like anything he ever saw. She had chin-length, bright red hair with her sideswept bangs partially covering her dark green eyes. Being shorter than average height, she also had fair skin. She wore a striped lime green and black t-shirt with yellow sleeves. She also wore long, red jeans that tucked into black folded leather boots. She wore black eyeshadow and black lipstick for makeup. There was also a black wristband watch on her left wrist. Despite her boyish appearance, this girl was very beautiful.

After a few minutes, the girl pulled away from Corey's grasp and ran off. His curiosity getting the better of him, the brunette preteen ran after the girl. He was so distracted, he wasn't looking where he was walking, resulting in him falling into a hole in the ground.

* * *

THUD!

Corey landed on the ground back first, damaging his guitar in the progress. But that was the least of his problems. He was distracted by a small silver object nearby. He got up and picked up the object. "What is this?" he wondered out loud.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the preteen's head as images flashed in his head.

**_"A chosen one with hair of a primary color will uncover the Pick of Destiny and use it to defeat the ultimate weapon and save the world."_**

The last thing Corey heard was a female voice calling out before he blacked-out.


	2. Escape From Peaceville

Sometime later, Corey finally awoke, but strangely, he wasn't in his home. He was shackled to a chair in a dark, empty room. "Hello?!" he called out. "What's going on?! How did I get here?!"

"Good. You're finally awake."

A girl walked in. Strangely, she looked a lot like Corey, but with a few different details. She had longer hair that reached her shoulders and the skull on her beanie had a red bow on it. She wore an orange skirt instead of orange shorts, and she had black eye shadow. "Who are you?" Corey asked.

"Only I ask the questions," the girl said, speaking in a firm tone. "Now, how did you find the Pick of Destiny?"

"The pick of what?" Corey asked.

"The Pick of Destiny!" the girl repeated.

"As much as I like this change in routine..." Corey said. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, I see," the girl said. "You're playing dumb, aren't you, Crafter?"

"Crafter?" Corey repeated.

"So you've never heard of the Prophecy?" the girl asked. "Or the Gifted One?"

"No," Corey answered.

"Liar!" the girl exclaimed as she grabbed the front of Corey's shirt and pulled closer to him. He could hear her breathing.

"So... I'm probably getting interrogated," Corey concluded. "And since you must be the bad cop...there's obviously a good cop nearby."

The girl let go of Corey. "There is," she answered. "But we're not done." She spoke into a walkie-talkie. "You can come in, sis. The boy is asking for you."

An older girl entered the room. She had teal hair and oval-shaped glasses. She wore a sleeveless orange turtleneck, green shorts, and knee high socks, matched to smart black shoes. She nervously cleared her throat. "Hi," she said. "Feeling alright?" She held out a cup of water. "Need a drink?"

"Sure," Corey answered, starting to relax. "Thanks-"

"Too bad!" the younger girl exclaimed. She grabbed the cup from the older girl and splashed Corey with water. "Security cameras picked up this," she continued. A nearby monitor played an infrared recording of Corey. "You were found near the music studio with a strange object."

"Wh-What strange object?" Corey asked. "I never saw anything strange."

"Then why is it stuck around your neck?" the younger girl asked.

Corey realized what the girl was talking about. Somehow, the silver object he found was attached to a silver chain around his neck. But no matter how hard he pulled, the chain wouldn't break. "You have to believe me!" he exclaimed. "I have no idea how this thing got on my neck!"

"Sure," the older girl said. "I believe you."

"Really?" Corey asked.

"Oh yes," the younger girl said. "I 'believe' you too."

However, the older girl was starting to have doubts. "Uh... Carrie..." she told the younger girl. "Maybe we got the wrong guy..."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bernadette," Carrie replied. "He's obviously pretending to be stupid."

"No, the other girl is right," Corey said. "Just ask my...friends. I'm just some ordinary guy."

"Oh, we asked them, alright," Carrie said. She played the interview footage.

**"I know Corey Riffin. He's that weird guitarist who work with us."**

**"I know that guy. All he does is mutter to himself and keep talking about sheep."**

**"We all have something that makes us special...but Corey is just plain nuts."**

This went on for a half hour. Everyone Corey knew talked about how he was 'crazy' and 'insane'. And by the time Carrie turned off the monitor, Corey had an 'Oh Shoot' look on his face. "Just some ordinary guy, huh?" Carrie asked, fiddling with the remote.

Corey lost it at this point. "I'm not crazy!" he exclaimed. "Everyone else is! Mayor Mellow is doing something that's making everyone in town blind to the truth!"

"You're pretty smart for a boy your age," Bernadette said, still smiling nervously. "Mayor Mellow is going to paralyze everyone on Footlong Friday. I think it's to make everyone immortal..."

"Paralyze?" Corey asked.

"Nice going!" Carrie exclaimed sarcastically. "Now he knows the plan!"

"Sorry," Bernadette said. "Should we take him to the Killing Chair?"

"Yes," Carrie answered as she glared at Corey. "We should."

* * *

Corey found himself strapped to a wooden chair, unable to escape. "I'm innocent!" he insisted.

"Don't you worry," Bernadette said as she and Carrie left the room. "You won't feel a thing."

Corey was getting scared. He was getting framed for who-knows-what. But with nothing else to do, he closed his eyes and waited for the end. But instead, he heard: CRASH! POW! WHACK! WHAM! CLICK.

Corey opened his eyes. To his surprise, the robots monitoring the room were all destroyed, and he was freed from the chair. The red-haired girl from earlier had saved him. "Who are you?" he asked.

The girl smiled. "Someone you can trust," she answered. "Now come on. I'm busting you out of here."

By the time Corey and the girl escaped, Carrie and Bernadette returned. "Hey guys," Bernadette addressed the robots. "How's the killing going?" But all she and Carrie saw was a bunch of scrap metal discarded on the floor.

* * *

A few minutes later, the girl helped Corey get outside. "Now you stay here," she said, looking around. "I'll try to build a getaway ride out of nearby scraps."

"How are you-?" Corey began to ask. Then to his surprise, the girl started to pick up random items in the alleyway and convert them into motorcycle parts using some kind of magic.

"You can drop the dumb guy act," the girl said as she finished building the vehicle. "No one followed us here."

"Act?" Corey asked. "What act?"

When the girl was finished a few seconds later, she jumped on the motorcycle. "I think that should do it," she said. "Now hop on."

Corey had no idea what was going on, or who this girl was. But he was so happy with this change of routine that he happily got on the motorcycle.

* * *

"So... What exactly is going on?" Corey asked as the girl drove out into the motorway.

"I'm rescuing you," the girl answered. "You're the person mentioned in the prophecy. The Gifted One."

"Me?" Corey asked. "The gifted one?"

"You found the Pick of Destiny," the girl answered. "And the Prophecy states that as the one who found the Pick, you are the most important, most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe."

Corey looked at the silver object around his neck. "You mean this?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's the Pick of Destiny," the girl answered. "I'm Laney, by the way. Laney Penn."

"Is that your real name?" Corey asked. He never heard of any other girl with that name."

"Sure..." Laney answered. She sounded nervous for some reason.

"Really?" Corey asked. "Because it sounds like an anagram of Penny Lane-" He was cut off when they realized they were being followed.

"You drive," Laney said. Then she jumped out to take care of the robots.

As much as Corey wanted to see Laney fight the robots, he paid attention to where he was driving. And he loved it. The feeling of adrenaline in his bloodstream was amazing. It was such a change from his usual everyday things. In fact, he was completely unaware of Laney turning the motorcycle into a hovercycle and getting back in. The vehicle started to hover.

"Head for the secret tunnel," Laney said.

"That multi-colored hole up ahead?" Corey asked.

"Yeah," Laney answered.

Corey grinned and revved up the engine. "Then you better hold on tight."

ZOOM!

In only a few seconds, the hovercycle entered the tunnel and in disappeared, all in only a few seconds.


	3. The Pony Ranch

After flashes of blue and yellow, Corey found himself in some kind of desert. "Where are we?" he asked Laney.

But Laney didn't answer. She was looking at Corey, confused and surprised at the same time. "What's your favorite restaurant?" she asked.

"I don't have one," Corey answered. "I prefer anything I make at home."

"Favorite TV show?"

"None. The only show available is Geeks and Girls and it's not funny anymore."

"Favorite song?"

Corey groaned. "I only like my own music with lyrics _I_ wrote."

"So you're not an ordinary guy," Laney said. "But your hair..."

"What about it?" Corey asked, pulling his beanie down.

Laney shook her head. "You're probably not even a Crafter," she said.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what that is," Corey said. "Why are we here, anyway?"

"I know someone who can help us," Laney answered. "Now come on. We need to find some disguises in case we come across some robots."

Corey spotted a nearby wagon. "Maybe they're in there," he said.

"Perfect!" Laney said. She dragged Corey inside the wagon. "See if you can find something to wear."

"What about you?" Corey asked.

"I'll take care of my disguise," Laney answered.

Corey rummaged through the outfits. Eventually, he settled for a poncho and a cowboy hat. When he put those on, he noticed a flash of light behind him. "What was that?" he asked, turning around.

Laney was already dressed. She wore a black old west-era dress with matching flats, and her hair was curled and piled up on top of her head. Yet the only thing out of place was her black wristband watch. "That was quick," Corey remarked.

"I'm good with disguises," Laney answered.

* * *

With their disguises on, Corey and Laney entered a western village. "I still don't get what's going on," Corey said. "Did we travel back in time or something? Was that what that portal was for? Some kind of 'WayBack' machine."

"No," Laney answered. "We only travelled in space, not time."

Corey blinked. "Huh?"

"You thought you were alone in the universe? Think again," Laney began. "There are many worlds in our universe, all co-existing with your home world in Peaceville. Right now we're in the Pony Ranch, just one of those worlds. Others include the Princess Palace, the Island of Giants, Cloudworlds, the Infinity Station, and Planet Robo."

Corey listened intently, eager to hear about these new places. He hoped that he would actually get to go there on this new adventure Laney dragged him out on.

The girl continued. "Once upon a time the worlds existed in harmony, with everyone getting along and using their combined imagination to create whatever that saw in their minds. Inspiration was found everywhere and this fuelled the imaginations of the people. Some of them became so imaginative that they rose above the rest. Those people became known as Crafters, masters of their art."

"What happened?" Corey asked. He knew he didn't need to, but he felt like asking.

"For a while, this was how the world was. The Crafters improved their skills and they served as an inspiration to everyone else." Laney briefly smiled at the memory of how everything used to be. "But there was one being who became unhappy with the universe." Her smile quickly faded as she moved on.

"Mayor Mellow..." Corey breathed.

"Yes." Laney confirmed. "Before he became mayor of your world, Mellow was an ordinary citizen of Peaceville, just like you. However, over time, he began to lose his inspiration. Eventually he completely lost sight of what was so good about the world and he completely forgot what it meant to be imaginative. After becoming mayor, he formed the Turner Corporate Negotiations to forward his plans. Through the company, he decided to cancel our inspiration."

"Wait... Huh?" the eagerly-listening boy interrupted. "Cancel? What do you mean? Why use that word?"

Laney didn't listen. "Mayor Mellow and the Turner Corporate Negotiations separated all the worlds and cut off their contact with the universe. But even then that was not enough to satisfy him, so he started planning to cancel the universe."

"Again with the 'cancel'!" Corey exclaimed. "What are you talking about?!"

"He stole an ancient artifact called the Paralysis Belt and hired the Beff sisters to capture all the Crafters," Laney went on. "But they did not find all of them. Some Crafters were smart enough to go into hiding. They built secret tunnels in order to keep in contact and one day, word spread of a prophecy. Something called the Pick of Destiny was waiting to be found by a Gifted One, and this pick would be the only thing that could destroy the Paralysis Belt and free everyone from cancellation."

Corey couldn't take it. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!"

After coming down from his outburst, Corey cleared his throat. "I mean... The sisters mentioned something about paralyzingly everyone," he recalled. "Mayor Mellow was going to do that on Footlong Friday. Course, this makes sense why his voting machines always seemed rigged..."

Laney gasped. "I knew there was something suspicious about that day!" she exclaimed. "We have to find my friend and get to Mayor Mellow's office!"

* * *

After the failed mission, Carrie and Bernadette were told to go to city hall, as Mayor Mellow wished to speak to them. When they arrived, they found the tyrant sitting in his office. "Hello Beff sisters," he said.

"Mayor Mellow, we know the Gifted One got away," Carrie said. "But-"

"Stop being serious, Carrie," Mayor Mellow interrupted. "And Bernadette, I missed you."

"Really?" Bernadette hopefully asked.

"Indeed," Mayor Mellow answered. "You iand/i your younger sister. In fact, ever since I hired you to capture and torture all the Crafters, you two have been an amazing team. One sister is the bad cop, the other sister is the good cop. Perfect for interrogations!"

"Thanks you, sir," Carrie said.

"At least until tonight," Mayor Mellow concluded. "You failed to get the Pick of Destiny, the only thing that can ruin my plan."

"What's the big deal with that anyway?" Bernadette asked. "It's just a pick."

"Just a pick?" Mayor Mellow repeated. "_Just_ a pick? It's not _just_ a pick. It's a silver one, crafted out of the finest metals. And its magnetic charge is enough to shut down this!" He showed the sisters a belt he currently wore. It was silver with a black oval stone on the buckle. "Behold the Paralysis Belt, able to permanently paralyze anything!" he spoke proudly. "All you do is push down on the stone..." He did so and the black stone started glowing. "And anything, or anyone, unfortunate enough to be in your way is trapped forever!"

The two sisters gazed at the artifact of power their boss now possessed.

"In fact..." Mayor Mellow spoke, his smile now becoming an evil smirk as the belt prepared to fire. "I think you've earned a demonstration! Wouldn't you say so, Carrie?"

Carrie realized what was going on. The belt was aimed at her! Not seeing a way out of it, she closed her eyes and braced for impact.

"Nooooooooo!"

ZAP!

But Carrie didn't feel paralyzed. Curious, she opened her eyes, then gasped. Laying in front of her was Bernadette, paralyzed into a surprised look.

"Bernadette!" Carrie exclaimed, rushing over to her paralyzed sister. She formed her frozen hand into a fist. "Fumps up, sis!" she cried. "Fumps up!"

"What a shame," Mayor Mellow said. "And she was such a sweet girl."

Carrie fought off tears as she looked upon her sister's paralyzed self. Never again would she move, never again could they play together or chat with each other. Bernadette Beff had been frozen in fear, and Carrie would soon be next. As Mayor Mellow aimed the belt at her, she said the first thing that came to her mind to make him stop.

"Wait!" Carrie yelped. "I'll do anything!"

Mayor Mellow paused for a second. "But you work for me. You already do anything I ask!"

Carrie still persisted. She did not want to share her sister's fate. "I mean it! I will do better! I will get the Pick of Destiny for you, Mayor Mellow! I swear!"

"Hmmm..." Mayor Mellow thought it over. Carrie Beff was certainly a skilled girl. She had always been the stronger sister, and now that her weaker half was no longer in the way, she could only get stronger. "Very well," Mayor Mellow said as the belt shut down. "But be warned. I will not miss next time!"

Carrie stood up, straightening her back and trying to look tough. "Y-Yes sir. I will do better."

Mayor Mellow then turned away from Carrie as the belt fully powered down. "Good. Now get out of my office. And take that trash with you."

Carrie wanted so badly to just leap at Mayor Mellow and rip his head off for what he did to her sister, and what he just called her. But she was still on his good side and she thanked whatever higher force existed for that. Letting out a half-hearted "Yes, Mayor Mellow.", Carrie dragged her sister's body out of the mayor's office with her. Once she was sure Mayor Mellow could not hear her, she allows herself to weep silently.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Bernadette!" she said softly, pretending that Bernadette could hear her. "This is my fault..."

Just then, she had a change of thought. "No..." she said. It wasn't entirely her fault this had happened! The blame also lied with...

"Riffin!" Carrie Beff cursed the name. If he had just given up the pick, Bernadette wouldn't have been paralyzed!

"You are to blame, Riffin! You and your friends!" Carrie spoke as she wiped her teary face to reveal a look of grief and determination. She would get the Pick of Destiny back, and she would make Corey Riffin and all his friends pay for what they did to her sister.

And she knew just how to do it...

* * *

Back in the Pony Ranch, Laney brought Corey over to a saloon. "Blend in with the locals," Laney said.

"Sure thing," Corey said. He casually walked in. "Well hoowwdy! I'm a COOOWWBOOY!" he exclaimed, speaking in a western accent.

But to Corey's surprise, the 'cowboys' weren't even human! They were all multi-colored horses with markings on their rears. "Why do you think it's called the _Pony_Ranch?" Laney asked.

As Corey suddenly realized this was a ranch for ponies, Laney walked over to a girl sitting in a chair. She was wearing a black shall, so it was very hard to see her face. "Trina?" Laney asked.

The girl looked up. "Laney?" she asked, speaking in a voice that sounded familiar to Corey. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, it's me," Laney answered.

"Good," the girl said. She got up. "We better get moving."

_"Trina..."_ Corey thought. _"Why does that name sound familiar?"_

* * *

The girl brought Corey and Laney to an attic. After locking the door shut, she took off her shall. Corey gasped, recognizing the older girl. Pink hair, light pink eyes, a torn pink, white, and purple outfit, that rather familiar voice... He was so happy, he ran over to the girl and hugged her.

"Katrina!" Corey exclaimed. "I never thought I would see you again!"

"It's Trina now," the pink-haired girl corrected, pulling Corey away from her.

"'Trina'?" Corey repeated. "Why did you-"

"I stopped going by that other name when I lost my innocent view on life," Trina interrupted.

"Hold up," Laney said. "You know this guy?"

"Of course I know him," Trina said. "He's my younger brother."

"You never told me you have a brother!" Laney exclaimed.

"You never asked," Trina replied. "So what brings you here, Laney?"

"I found the Pick of Destiny," Laney answered.

"Wait," Trina said, a hint of confusion in her voice. "You're the Gifted One?"

"If only," Laney said. "_This boy_ beat me to it."

Trina smiled as she looked at the Pick around Corey's neck. "So you're the Gifted One," she said.

"He can't be!" Laney insisted. "He's not a Crafter!"

"But he can with proper training," Trina said. "Go on, Corey. Create something out of the objects in this room."

Corey looked around, ideas forming in his head. He took off his guitar and looked at it, seeing how it was broken. Then, using some blue-tinted foil and spare wood, he rebuilt his guitar, giving it a blue-star design on the front. "What do you think?" Corey asked.

"Not bad," Trina said. "But does it work?"

Corey responded by playing some notes. Then he started singing.

Corey: _There used to be a love between us_

Laney: *unknowingly joins in* _Then suddenly, that love was gone_

Corey: _Now everywhere I turn you're missing_

Laney: _Like a hairless cat it feels so wrong_

Corey: _I let we  
Be about me_

Laney: _And I let us fall apart_

Corey: _Wrong is what I know I'll always be_

Laney: _Can we de-end and restart_

Both: _Please come back  
Please come back_

Corey: _My life without you ain't worth jack_

Laney: _I threw you away_

Corey: _Like a pile of old stuff_

Laney: _I'd take all the blame_

Both: _But I've had enough  
I'm nothing without you  
Well maybe not nothing but a whole lot less  
It's true..._

When the song was over, Laney covered her mouth with both hands, embarrassed. "I'm sorry!" she yelped.

"Wow Laney," Trina said. "I didn't know you could sing."

Laney nervously lowered her hands. "It's a force of habit..." she nervously admitted.

"Does this mean I'm Crafter material?" Corey asked.

That made Laney get back to normal. "What about his hair?" she asked Trina.

"What about it?" Corey asked, making sure his beanie was on tight. "If you don't like it, I'll consider getting it cut."

"It's not the style that's a problem," Laney said. "It's the color. According to the Prophecy, the Gifted One has 'hair of a primary color'. You're a brunette, not a blonde or a redhead. I, on the other hand, am a Crafter with bright red hair. I should be the Gifted One, not you!"

"Actually Laney, you're wrong," Trina said. She walked over to Corey, yanked off his beanie, and lifted up his messy bangs. "Look closely."

Laney did look closely. To her surprise, she could see light blue near the scalp. "Blue hair?" she asked. "But-"

"Red, yellow, and blue are primary colors," Trina explained. "The Prophecy isn't limited to blondes and redheads."

"Okay, so I dye my hair," Corey admitted as he pulled away from Trina and put his beanie back on. "I didn't want to look weird, so I made everyone think I'm a brunette."

"You can wash it out now in the washroom," Trina said. "There's no need for you to hide behind dye."

* * *

When Corey arrived in the washroom, he took off his clothes and turned on the shower, making sure to close and lock the bathroom door behind him (no one wanted to see his junk, after all). He stepped into the shower, flinching at the heat before slowly adjusting to it. Grabbing a bottle of shampoo, he squeezed a glob of the liquid within into his hands and ran it through his hair, covering it with soapy suds. After thoroughly washing his hair, Corey stuck his head under the running water. Immediately the water ran through his hair, rinsing away the suds and the accursed brown dye. Corey always hated that dye. It was something he forced himself to use every day to appear 'normal' to the citizens. He sighed happily as he remembered he would never again have to dye himself like that for anyone. Corey ran his fingers through his hair, forcing any last specks of brown out of his hair for good and returning it to its original, true-blue state. It wasn't his fault his hair was naturally that color!

That got Corey thinking. It was mention in the Prophecy that this 'Gifted One' with hair like his would be the one to save the entire universe. Could that truly be him? One minute, he was just an ordinary guy living his life in a dull town. The next, he was whisked away on this crazy adventure with a mysterious red-haired girl and his long-lost sister. It all sounded too good to be true. Perhaps he was being punked right now and all of this was an elaborate and complex hoax. The thought put Corey on edge.

But if it was true. If he was truly the one meant to save the universe, why him? Was it the Pick itself that made him the Gifted One? After all, Laney had ignored him outside the music store after she realized he didn't take the pick by choice. He was drawn to it and it was forced into his possession by something he could not control.

* * *

Back downstairs, Carrie entered the building with a small metal device. She cleared her throat. "Has anyone seen this boy?" The blue-haired girl held up a picture of Corey with brown hair.

Only one voice spoke up, and it belonged to a black pony with hole-filled wings and blue-green eyes. "What does that boy look like in a cowboy hat and a poncho?" the pony asked.

Carrie drew the two articles of clothing on the picture and showed it to the pony. "Yeah, I think I know where he went," he said.


	4. Ranch Rooftops

When Corey got dressed and left the bathroom, he noticed Trina was constructing robot birds out of random scraps and Laney was back to her usual outfit. "These mechanical birds will get our message out," Trina explained as the birds flew off. "They will visit the remaining Crafters who will meet us in Cloud Cuckooland."

"Cloud Cuckooland?" Laney asked. She smiled. "My best friend lives there!"

"What's he or she like?" Corey asked.

"Imagine all of the cute things in existence merged into one person," Laney explained. "She's very likable and helpful, not a single bad thought in her adorable little mind."

"Doubt it," Corey said. "No one could possibly be like that."

"Trust Laney with this one," Trina said. "We need someone like her friend to help us get to the kingdom's capital."

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. "Open up right now!" a male voice said. "Or we'll open the door for you!"

Trina's eyes widened. "We better get going," she said. Then she opened a door in the ceiling. "This way! Hurry!"

* * *

Outside, Corey, Laney, and Trina were on the saloon roof. However, someone was waiting for them. Someone by the name of Carrie. Her usual curled blue hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and her eyes were shielded by dark sunglasses. "This is your only warning, you turkeys! Surrender the Pick of Destiny or suffer greatly!"

Rather than comply, Laney instead chose to insult. "What's with the new shades, Beff? Is the sun too bright for you? Or has your heart gotten so dark that any light in your eyes is poisonous?"

"SILENCE!" Carrie screamed. "Just give up the Pick, right now!

"Not a chance!" Laney responded. "We would sooner let the wearer die than hand the Pick over!"

"I don't get a say in this?" Corey whined.

"Look everybody," Carrie said. "We can do this the easy way, or-" as if on cue, the three ran off, jumping to another roof. "They took the hard way," Carrie told the robots. "Fire away!"

"Laney, do you know how to get to Cloud Cuckooland?" Trina asked Laney as the two girls and Corey jumped from roof to roof.

"Sure..." Laney said. "It's right next to..." She muttered the next part.

"What was that?" Corey asked.

"A big pile of rubble," Laney said. "Cloud Cuckooland is next to a big pile of rubble."

"If you say so," Trina said as she dodged a laser by performing a backflip. "Just tell us where to go, Laney. You know Cloud Cuckooland better than any of us combined."

"Alright Trina," Laney said. "Just let me build something to help us." In only a few seconds, she had built a handmade hang glider. "You're driving," she told Corey.

And so, Corey proceeded to steer the glider as Trina and Laney held on to the wings. But as he steered, the blue-haired boy noticed there were strange markings on the handle. In fact, if he remembered correctly, those markings were the same ones on the motorcycle's licenses plates!

Before Corey could ask Laney what the markings meant, Carrie blew up the glider, sending the three plummeting to the ground. Luckily, Laney was a quick Crafter. In only five seconds, she used some fence pieces to create a large pig-drawn carriage, allowing them to leave the Pony Ranch.

* * *

In the world's forest, the group was being pursued by mutated ponies. One of those ponies shot a laser beam from its horn, disconnecting a wheels from the carriage.

"Does anyone have any good plans?" Laney asked, struggling to control the carriage.

"What we need is something that spins around," Trina answered.

That gave Corey an idea. Using the utmost balance, he stepped outside the carriage and grabbed a random tree branch. "Corey, what are you doing?!" Laney asked.

"Saving our bacon," Corey answered as he scooped up some quick-dry mud from the ground. Then he put the loose wheel in the stick, used the mud to hold it in place, and moved his whole body so he was balancing himself from outside the carriage.

Laney sighed. "This better work," she said. Then with a sharp left turn, she steered the carriage, making the mutant ponies loose track of their target.


	5. Escape From the Pony Ranch

"Nice work Corey," Trina said.

"Thanks," Corey replied, still holding on to the carriage and his makeshift axle.

"Wow," Laney said. "Your plan actually worked."

Unfortunately, the group wasn't safe just yet. Carrie was still following them. "Seriously?!" Corey asked. "How does she know where we are?!"

"Relax Corey," Laney said. "I know someone who can help." She pressed a button on her wristband watch, activating a signal. "Come on, please get this..." she muttered.

"Who are you going to call?" the so-called Gifted One asked.

But before the girl could answer, the pig carriage crashed into a bright and colorful train. Luckily, the three heroes landed on top of the moving train. It seemed Carrie was stuck on the ground. "Whew!" Corey said. "At least we got away."

"Uh, Corey..." Trina said, pointing at the sky. "We're still in danger."

Laney facepalmed. "You had to say it, didn't you?"

Sure enough, Carrie had transformed her police car into a police ihover/icar, allowing her to still follow the group. "Choo choo!" she taunted. "I'm still keeping up!"

Corey simply shook his head at the new flying automobile Carrie now piloted. "Seriously, you have a car that can fly!? What doesn't the Turner Corporate Negotiations have!?"

"Please refrain from flattering the enemy!" Trina scolded her brother.

"Rest in peace.." Carrie uttered as she aimed her car's weapons. "For Bernadette!"

BOOM!

Without a functioning track, the train stopped suddenly. Carrie was about to catch up when a black and dark green striped hovership flew towards the heroes. "Get in!" a voice said as the door opened.

Laney hopped into the passenger seat while Trina got into the back seat, grabbing Corey by the arm as she did. With everyone seated, the hovership zoomed off, too fast for Carrie to keep up.

* * *

"Whew!" Corey said as the hovership continued to fly. "Thanks for the save."

"Don't mention it," the driver said. It was a twelve-year-old boy who resembled Laney. He wore the same outfit, except his boots seemed to be more square and combat-like than hers. His hair was also shorter with bangs that hung over to the left side of his face. He obviously wore no make-up and his eyes were rounder. But the funniest part was the fact that his t-shirt was tucked into his jeans.

"Corey, this is Larry Nepp," Laney explained. "I sent him the distress signal."

"How do you know him?" Corey asked.

"He's my boyfriend," Laney explained. She looked over at Larry and reached to caress his hair. "Right cutie?"

Larry quickly swatted the hand away from him. "Do not touch the driver while the vehicle is in motion!" he exclaimed. "It's bad enough you had me come out here."

"Oh Larry, we're far away from Carrie," Laney reassured. "There's no need for you to get stressed."

SCREECH!

With the hovership stopped, Larry took out a light blue inhaler from his jeans pocket and breathed into it. "How could I not get stressed?" he asked Laney. "I was at home listening to my therapy music when I got your 'please help me' signal! Now if you can tell me where to drop you off, I'll be more than happy to-"

"Larry, you're a Crafter too," Trina interrupted. "I sent a message to all remaining Crafters telling them to meet us in Cloud Cuckooland. So when we get there, you better not ditch us. Understood?"

Larry groaned. "Fine," he said as he resumed flying the hovership. "I'll stay with you." He glanced at Laney for a few seconds. "But don't touch me until I'm done driving!"


	6. Welcome to Cloud Cuckooland

Eventually, Larry arrived at a beautiful grassy scenery with animals and bright flowers. "Is this Cloud Cuckooland?" Corey asked. "Because I don't see any clouds."

Larry flew past what appeared to be a large grayish pile of rubble. "No Corey," Laney said. "This is that pile of rubble I told you about."

"Wait a minute..." Trina said, looking at a half-demolished sign. "This is the Princess Palace!"

"Princess Palace?" Larry asked. "You mean that myth filled with naive girls who pretend to be princesses?"

"The Princess Palace was once real," Trina explained. "And it was home to many girls who wanted to be princesses. Run by the Head Queen and the Royal Council of Female Royals, the Palace was stabled and structured. But then Mayor Mellow started to take control. His first act as ruler was to destroy everything that made the Princess Palace grand, even if that meant burning it down to the ground."

"But what about the locals?" Corey asked.

"There were no survivors," Trina answered. "When the Princess Palace was destroyed, everyone perished. There's no way it could come back."

Corey looked at the pile of rubble, taking off his beanie for respect. He couldn't believe a thing like that happened. Why would Mayor Mellow destroy everything princess-related?

Laney, on the other hand, was dead silent. Her body stiffened and she didn't say a word. It was as if the Princess Palace was a part of her past. But why?

Eventually, Larry broke the silence. "So... How about we listen to some tunes?" he asked. "I brought my therapy music with me." He inserted a CD into the CD slot and pressed Play.

_SUNSHINE, LOLLIPOPS AND RAINBOWS EVERYTHING THAT'S WONDERFUL  
IS WHAT I FEEL WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER, BRIGHTER THAN A LUCKY PENNY  
WHEN YOU'RE NEAR THE RAIN CLOUD DISAPPEARS, DEAR  
AND I FEEL SO FINE JUST TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE MINE_

While Larry was singing along to the song, Corey was startled by how loud it was. "What do you even see in him, Laney?!" he asked, putting his beanie back on.

"Larry is a pretty nice guy once he's calm and relaxed," Laney explained. "Sweet, gentle..."

"Well I'm...sweet and gentle too," Corey said. "I just don't blast out songs about sunshine, lollipops, or-" He saw something colorful in the distance. "Is that a rainbow?"

Laney's eyes widened. "That's the place," she said. "Larry, head straight for that rainbow."

* * *

When Larry parked the hovership, the group approached a cloud-like entrance. There was a note on the door that read: 'Only those who know the secret knock are allowed to enter.'

"Laney, you clearly have more knowledge about this place than any of us," Trina said. "Do you know the secret knock?"

"Well...yeah," Laney answered. She hesitated. "But...I haven't seen my friend in years. Will she even recognize me?"

"She probably will," Larry reassured. "Now go ahead and do that secret knock."

Laney took a deep breath and knocked on the door once. "Seriously?" Corey asked. "_That's_ your secret knock?!" He walked up to the door. "Anyone can do that! I can do that! Watch!"

THUD!

Corey fell down onto the cloud-like floor. To his surprise, the door opened, allowing the group to enter Cloud Cuckooland. "Told you I know the secret knock," Laney said as she helped Corey get back on his feet.

* * *

Cloud Cuckooland was filled with millions of people dancing to a techno song. Everyone was happy and everything was bright and colorful.

"So, where's your friend?" Corey asked.

Laney glanced at her wristband watch. "Don't worry about her," she answered. "She'll show up right about..."

"Hiiii!"

Without warning, an adorable female unicorn-kitten hybrid leaped out of nowhere and landed next to the group. Her head was pink with large blue eyes, rosy cheeks, some white on her face, three black whiskers sticking out from each side of her face, and fluffy dark pink hair. She had a small, dark pink nose. Her ears were dark pink and she had a sunny sky blue unicorn horn sticking out of her head. Her body was fluffy and pink with light pink-white legs. She had yellow back paws and aqua front paws, as well as a fluffy tail that was light royal blue with some white streaks. And to top off her look was a simple mint green collar around her neck. "I am Princess Uni-Kitty, and I welcome you all to Cloud Cuckooland!" the hybrid exclaimed.

Corey couldn't help but smile. "You're cute," he said, scratching underneath Uni-Kitty's chin and making her purr. When he was done, she looked around at the group. But upon seeing Laney, the young princess gasped, ran over to the red-haired girl, and pounced on her, knocking her over.

"Laney Penn!" Uni-Kitty exclaimed. "I never thought I would see you again!"

Laney got on her feet. "I told you I would come back," she said. Then she booped the kitten's nose, making her gasp again as her horn glowed.

"You remembered!" Uni-Kitty squealed.

"Of course I remember," Laney said, scratching behind Uni-Kitty's ears. "How could I forget about your soft spots?"

"That's your friend?" Larry asked. "How could a tough girl like you be friends with a princess?"

"She's another Crafter," Laney explained.

"Then that means you know where the Crafters are meeting up," Trina told Uni-Kitty.

"Uh-huh," Uni-Kitty said as she nodded. "The other Crafters are gathered in The Dog, which is the kingdom's capital."

"Can you take us there?" Corey asked.

"Sure!" Uni-Kitty answered. "I can make you a bridge out of colorful rainbow stuff." She sat down, closed her eyes, and twirled her head around as rainbow magic glowed around her horn. Suddenly, two colorful flower statues were dismantled and transformed into a rainbow bridge. With her work done, she got back on her feet and opened her eyes. "Ta-da!"

And so, Uni-Kitty led the group to The Dog, all while she gave them a tour of her kingdom. "Wow," Corey said. "I don't see any signs, but this place seems structured."

"Here in Cloud Cuckooland, there are no rules!" Uni-Kitty explained. "There's no government, no babysitters, no stop signs, no bedtimes, no frowny faces, no betrayals, no poo-poos, no boo-boos, no hoo-hoos, and no negativity of any kind."

"But you said 'no' several times," Trina pointed out.

"And there's also no consistency!" Uni-Kitty added, briefly appearing overhead for some reason.

Larry was happy with the relaxed atmosphere. "I actually like this place," he said with a genuine smile.

"Any idea is a good idea, except the not-happy ones," Uni-Kitty continued. "Those you push down deep inside where you'll never ever ever EVER fiiind themmmm!"

Laney was shocked. For a brief moment, Uni-Kitty's fur was bright red and orange and she looked angry. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Who, me?" Uni-Kitty asked. "I'm fine, silly! Now come on, let's get to The Dog!"

The rest of the trip was silent. The only sound could be heard was Uni-Kitty singing. While no one paid attention to the song, Laney was concerned when she heard the repeated lyrics.

_Kitty's building a paradise in the sky  
As she waits for her bestest friend  
Bestie's got a heart  
And kitty's gonna harm  
Her heart by tearing it into shreds_

"Corey..." Laney whispered. "I think something's wrong with Uni-Kitty."

"What do you mean?" Corey whispered back.

"It's her song," Laney answered. "Listen."

Upon hearing the lyrics, Corey's eyes widened. "Are you sure you two are friends?" he asked. "Because it seems there's some kind of rough past."

"Trust me, she wasn't like this back then," Laney explained. "She really was the sweetest kitten ever."

"So what happened?" Corey asked.

"I don't know," Laney admitted. "I haven't seen her in seven years, so I really have no clue what happened to her."

"Alright, we're here!" Uni-Kitty said, gesturing her paw to a large dog-shaped dome. "Welcome to the heart of Cloud Cuckooland: The Dog!"

* * *

Upon entering The Dog, Corey saw many different people. There were the Teen Titans, a grey cross-eyed pony, and various other beings. With everyone seated, Trina walked over to the center of the arena.

"My fellow Crafters," Trina said. "We have gained new information on how Mayor Mellow intends to use the Paralysis Belt he acquired years ago. On Footlong Friday, he will use the Paralysis Belt's power on all of our worlds, freezing us all into a permanent paralysis. That's right. Mayor Mellow is planning to put us on hold!"

The Crafters were all surprised to hear that. _"Her too?"_ Corey thought.

"But there is still hope," Trina continued. "The Gifted One has come here to assist us in freeing ourselves and our dimensions from cancellation."


	7. Attack on Cloud Cuckooland

Trina stepped aside and let Corey speak to the Crafters. "Um... Hi there," he said. "I'm Corey Riffin." He lifted up the Pick. "And this thing around my neck chose me to be your Gifted One. I know I don't look the part. I'm not the best fighter, I'm not the best thinker. I know what you're thinking. 'How can this person be the person we're supposed to follow? He is not suited to lead us!' Well sit your butts down and listen up! Cause I am the guy you're gonna follow, and guess what? I've been thinking of a plan to hit Mellow head-on!"

"Excuse me?!"

That voice came from a giant girl, who stepped forward and looked down at Corey. She had long strawberry blonde hair pulled into a pumpkin-shaped bump and tied with a braid, as well as green eyes and peach skin. She wore a slender blue dress with pink sleeves, which turned into translucent blue sleeves. The bodice was light teal with a gold trim. The body of the dress was covered in pink and white blossoms with a translucent skirt covered in gold leaf patterns over top. Her jewelry consisted of shoe earrings, a bird ring, a floral charm bracelet and a gold necklace with a clock. Her tiara was pink with birds on the top. Her shoes were translucent blue to simulate glass and the heels were covered in flowers with vines climbing up her legs. Her bag was square and solid gold with a clock face on each side.

"You mean to say that your plan is to storm into Mayor Mellow's office?!" the girl asked. "That's practically impossible!"

"Uh... Who are you?" Corey asked.

"I'm Ashlynn Ella," the girl answered. "I'm a Crafter from the Island of Regular-Sized People and the one who tried to attack head-on."

"Ashlynn, you don't have to explain the story," Trina said. "We all know what happened."

"I don't," Corey pointed out.

"Alright," Ashlynn said. "I'll tell you what happened. My team and I planned to storm into Mayor Mellow's office to get the Paralysis Belt. But unfortunately, we learned Mayor Mellow wears the Belt all the time. The battle was rough, especially with all those robo sharks with deadly eye beams. We used everything we had, but everyone on my team was ripped apart. I barely made it out of there alive." She picked up Corey by the shirt. "So if you think it's a good idea to go back there, what idea do you have that's different than the ideas belonging to hundreds of defeated Crafters?"

"Actually, I haven't come up with a good plan yet," Corey explained. "Heck I'm not even a Crafter."

The other Crafters gasped as Ashlynn dropped Corey in disgust. "You're kidding, right?" she asked.

Corey got back on his feet. "Yes, I'm not a Crafter," he continued. "And I come from Peaceville. I've lived there all my life. I never knew my parents and every day I see people droning in the streets, being herded like lambs to a slaughter! Everyone was working the same few jobs, watching the same unfunny show, and listening to that song over and over that I helped write and produce!

"Wait a minute," a robotic reptile holding a double-sided grappling hook staff asked. "You wrote that ssssong?!"

"Yes!" Corey answered. "I'm a musician! I had to write a song and play backup for the people who sang it. So I did... And I probably shouldn't have said that."

"He's a spy!" the cross-eyed pony exclaimed.

"Is this not supposed to do any of the helping for us?" Starfire asked.

"No, I'm not a spy!" Corey insisted as the crowd jeered at him. "I'm not! I hate that song!"

"Like I'm going to help a traitor!" Ashlynn called out, already leaving.

Corey looked at his sister and friends. "Help me out here guys!" he whispered.

Laney stepped forward. "Can everyone please calm down?" she asked. But no one stopped. Just as it seemed no one was going to fix things...

"QUIET!"

The other Crafters immediately became quiet as Uni-Kitty bounced up and landed on Corey's shoulder. "Thank you," the kitty princess said, back to her adorable self. "Now please listen to me. I vouch for Corey Riffin. I just know in my heart that he is the one to save us. Yet just now he has confessed to us his sins. Sins that have had a lasting impact on our universe. Think of this as his atonement. He is looking to repent by helping us defeat Mayor Mellow and save our world. Besides, look in his eyes and tell him he's not a good guy."

The Crafters all looked at Corey. One by one, they saw the innocence in his eyes. "You see?" Uni-Kitty asked. "He's on our side, and he wants to help us fulfill his destiny. I say let him! I for one am happy to call Corey Riffin my friend and to help him save the universe! So who's with me?!"

The Crafters cheered in agreement. Satisfied, Uni-Kitty bounced off of Corey's shoulder. "You're welcome," she said as she walked back to Laney.

Corey smiled as the Crafters started to chant his name. This was his dream, for everyone to be cheering and practically worshipping him. Nothing bad could go wr-

CRASH!

A huge asteroid crashed into The Dog, startling everyone.

* * *

As everyone ran out of The Dog, a swarm of hover cars lead by Carrie entered the kingdom. "Guess who?" Carrie called out into a megaphone.

Uni-Kitty gasped. "Who told that girl the secret knock?!" she asked. "Was it you, _Laney_?!"

"Me?!" Laney asked in response. "She's not even on our side!"

"Wait a minute," a green flowery hedgehog creature asked. "Why is the Gifted One's hat glowing red?"

Corey yanked off his beanie. Sure enough, a small tracking device was sewn inside. Disgusted, he ripped it off. "How did that even get there?" he muttered to himself as he put his beanie back on.

Meanwhile, all the Crafters were fighting off the robots. The Teen Titans attacked with their powers/natural abilities, the cross-eyed pony hoof-kicked some hover cars, and the robotic reptile swung her staff at hovering robots with sharp claws. But for some reason, they were all just knocked down like they had no abilities whatsoever. It made no sense, but let's get back to the story.

* * *

As Corey and the others ran away from the attack, there was a loud boom. Uni-Kitty knew that meant one thing. "Oh no!" she whimpered. "They hit the silly cloud stabilizers!"

"Then we better get out of here qui-" Laney started to say, but then she looked at the little princess. "Cloud stabilizers?"

Uni-Kitty replied with an innocent shrug. "As much as I would like to question why a cloud needs stabilizers to stay floating, we need to get out of here!" Corey said. "So can anyone build something?!"

As if on cue, two twelve-year-old boys wearing matching blue spacesuits showed up. One of the boys was skinny with pale skin and thick, circular glasses. He had a long head and didn't appear to have a neck. The other boy was obese with the same skin color and he didn't wear glasses.

"Greetings my friends," the skinnier boy said. "I'm Kin Kujira."

"And I'm Kon Kujira," the fatter boy said.

"We're identical twin spacemen!" the boys said in union.

"We can build a spaceship together, like so," Kin said.

Then in a flash of blue, the brothers went to work on building a spaceship. "No, you can't," Laney said, looking up. "The skies are surrounded."

"Awww..." Kon said in a disappointed tone.

"Well where can we go where we can't be found?" Uni-Kitty squeaked.

"Maybe if we go underwater," Corey suggested.

Larry was so shocked that he had to use his inhaler. "That's genius!" he exclaimed.

"Great idea Corey," Laney agreed.

"Thank you Corey, your idea is the best!" Uni-Kitty purred.

Corey smiled. "Thanks," he said, glad they liked his idea.

"We could build a submarine," Laney added.

"A _safe_ submarine," Larry corrected.

"With rainbows!" Uni-Kitty giggled.

"And cannons in case of emergency," Trina said.

"Like an underwater spaceship!" Kon realized, then he high-fived his smiling twin brother.

To Corey's amazement, the Crafters known as his sister and their friends went to work assembling the safe submarine.


	8. Escape From Cloud Cuckooland

Sure enough, a basic layout of a submarine began to take form. As the Crafters were on the move, their would-be submarine started to roll down what was left of The Dog as they continued their work.

"These are the colors I need!" Uni-Kitty shouted, her voice still energetic despite the carnage unfolding around her. "Mountain cherry, extreme watermelon, blue razzleberry, and sour apple!"

"Are those even colors?" Larry asked before quickly shaking his head. "Whatever. Just let me know if anyone has black or dark shades of green. I only work in those colors."

"Why not yellow?" Laney suggested.

"No, it has to be this way!" Uni-Kitty said, flipping the submarine over.

"Maybe we can use wings and some rocket boosters," Kin told Kon, who smiled ecstatically at the idea.

"If you're adding those things, please stay out of my area," Laney said, stenciling some small images on her section.

The sole observer, Corey, simply shook his head. These were the legendary Crafters? He had expected them to work together and combine their ideas. Instead everyone was bickering about how it should be done 'Laney's way' or 'Larry's way' or 'Uni-Kitty's way' and so on. At this rate he would be amazed if the finished project would actually be sea-worthy!

Trina noticed Corey wasn't doing anything. "Come on, Corey," she said. "Now's your chance to show off some Crafter skills."

"Ur..." Corey said. "Maybe later. I'm still thinking."

Elsewhere, Carrie was continuing the search for the Gifted One and his allies. Flying her hovercar, she observed the wreckage, looking for any trace of them. "Where are you, you thorn in my side?" Just then, she spotted the bare makings of a submarine rolling down a steep hill. The submarine looked to be still in construction even as it approached the water. _"The work of a Crafter..."_ she thought. "Okay robots, attack that strange-looking submarine!" she ordered.

Eventually, the submarine was halfway done. "Water's coming up fast! We need to finish this thing!" Laney said.

"And it has to be pretty!" Uni-Kitty chimed in before she, Trina, and Corey went inside.

"Oh, just like you to prioritize prettiness! " Larry shouted at the princess, but she was already inside. It was then he realized he was nearly out of dark green and black objects. "Ugh, just my luck. And I'm not even done with my section!"

Without warning, robots and hover cars appeared out of nowhere. "STOP. YOU ARE SPEED-ING," one robot droned as it fired a laser. Jumping out of the way, Larry shouted "Can't you see we're a bit busy here?!" This did nothing to stop the robots however, as they continued their attack. Larry called for his girlfriend who immediately rushed to his aid, spraying the robots in the eyes with her spray can.

"VI-SION IM-PAIRED. WE CAN-NOT SEE," the robots cried.

"Good luck flying blind!" Laney called out as they crashed. Larry then got an idea. "Hey, Laney! Can you spray those cars a green color? Maybe then I can use them!" With a few quick sprays from Laney, the hover cars were decorated in black and dark green paint. "That's more like it," he said. Then the red-haired boy used his Crafter skills to dismantle the hover cars and attach them to his section of the submarine. "Now to finish the interior with these spare pieces."

When Larry went back inside, Trina got out. "Does anyone have any spare pink pieces and decorative hearts?" she asked. "I ran out of them."

"What do you need those for?!" Kin questioned.

Before she could answer, they felt a bump in the road. "Is anyone steering this thing?" Kon asked. "Because I don't think we're going to fit under that bridge."

CRASH!

"Yep, called it," Kon said as a pink bridge landed on top of the submarine.

"I was actually going to make a steering wheel," Trina said "But I ran out of pink... Hang on." she paused, looking at the bridge. "I can use those pieces." With careful Crafter skills, she broke apart the bridge and used the pieces to fill in a patch in her section. "What do you think?"

"It's...pink," Kin said. "Very very pink."

"It's the color of happiness," Trina explained, picking up spare pieces. "Now I better get going. That steering wheel and those walk-in closets aren't going to build themselves."

As soon as Trina got back in, Uni-Kitty bounced out just as a piece of the kingdom attached itself to the submarine. "Look!" Uni-Kitty squealed. "All the colors of pieces I need! Help me get them."

While Laney helped her closest friend, Kin noticed the markings on the red-haired girl's section. "What's wrong, Kin?" Kon asked.

Kin used a built-in camera in his spacesuit to snap a picture of the markings. "I think I've seen these markings before," he answered. "It'll take me a while to translate it, though."

* * *

Meanwhile, Uni-Kitty was busy using decorative fireworks to cover her section in glitter. "Hurry up, Uni-Kitty!" Laney called out. "We both know this cloud is sinking!"

"Right!" Uni-Kitty said. Then she turned a mechanical cuckoo into a butterfly, which she used to reach the very top, where she needed to be. Then, using her Crafter skills, she finished building a rainbow on her section. And with an "I'm done!", she, Laney, Kin and Kon all entered the submarine just as it hit the water.


	9. The Depths

Despite all their efforts, nothing could stop the destruction of Cloud Cuckooland. Worse, all the remaining Crafters were captured by Carrie and her robot goons. As for Corey and the others, they managed to hide underwater,

Uni-Kitty looked out the window and let out a sniffle. She saw scattered remains of her world. "My home..." she whispered. "My kingdom... It's gone!" Her ears folded back. "I feel something inside. It's like...the opposite of happiness!" She looked away from the view. "I must...stay..._positive_." She started breathing. "Ooh... Bubblegums!" She breathed some more. "Butterflies?" She breathed again as she looked out the window again, but upon seeing The Dog crack in half, she gasped. _"Cotton candy?!"_

Corey walked over to Uni-Kitty and brushed his fingers through her fluffy pink fur. "I'm so sorry Uni-Kitty," he said as she whimpered.

"I hate to interrupt this moment, but where is that loud tapping sound coming?" Trina asked.

Trina was right. Outside the submarine, something was trying to get in. And with a loud crunch, a long blue thing broke through, making water leak in. "The walls are crying!" Uni-Kitty squealed.

"The walls aren't crying Uni-Kitty," Trina said. "We're under attack."

"We better get to the escape pods!" Larry said.

"You built escape pods?!" Corey asked as the group ran (while Uni-Kitty bounced) into a dry non-leaking room.

"I thought you did!" Larry replied.

Corey hesitated. "Actually, I-"

SLAM!

Without warning, Trina and Kon were locked out. "Can one of you open the hatch so we can get through?!" Kon asked.

Laney tried to open the hatch. "No, it's jammed," she reported. "You'll have to find another way in!"

With that, footstep sounds indicated Kon and Trina had left. That's when Larry noticed a large guitar-shaped object in the room. "What the heck is that?" he asked.

"This old thing?" Corey asked in response with a smile. "It's a guitar-shaped coffin. I built it out of my own design. It doesn't look like much, but the interior is larger than the exterior so you can store up to ten bodies."

Uni-Kitty suddenly looked frightened as she started to shake ever-so slightly. "Y-You planned for our deaths?!" she whimpered.

"Okay, so it might not be the best idea," Corey said.

"I say we should focus our attention on where we should go next," Larry said. "Think about it. Carrie and her goons are still looking for us and none of us can survive underwater. Where can we go after this when we're still wanted?"

No one responded. As for Kin, he was deciphering the markings Laney drew on her section of the submarine. Corey noticed this. "What are you doing Kin?"

"I noticed some strange markings on the submarine," Kin explained. "I'm going through every single language database to see what they are, but I'm not getting any results."

Corey looked at the picture. "Wait a minute..." he said. "I've seen those same markings before. Laney seems to add them to everything she creates."

Uni-Kitty's ears perked up and she bounced over to the two. "Adds what?" she asked. When Kin showed her the image, she gasped. "I know what that is!"

"You do?" Kin asked.

Uni-Kitty eagerly nodded. "I do the exact same thing when I create stuff," she explained. "So I can translate it!"

For some reason, Laney suddenly grew worried. Reaching into her pocket, she brought out something that would silence her friend.

"Does this mean you know what they are?" Kin asked.

Uni-Kitty nodded once more. "It's the writing of the- Oooh! Yarn!"

No it wasn't the writing of the 'oooh yarn'. Laney had swung a ball of yarn in front of her. The ball was attached to a piece of string which Laney held onto. Uni-Kitty was instantly attracted to the yarn, her kitty side kicking in and her instincts telling her to get that yarn! She pounced in the direction of the yarn but Laney pulled it away. "Come get it, Uni-Kitty!" she called out. Uni-Kitty smiled and her eyes got all sparkly as she began to chase Laney about the room.

Corey, Kin, and Larry just looked on with confusion. "You know cats," the red-haired girl said. "They have short attention spans."

Uni-Kitty just giggled. "This is no way to treat your best friend!" she squealed in delight.

"I can if my best friend is just a little kitty," Laney pointed out.

I am not just a kitty!" Uni-Kitty giggled. "I am half unicorn! Which means I can do this!" She used her magic to take the ball of yarn from Laney. "I'll take that!" the hybrid purred. And with that, she started playing with her new toy.

At that moment, a second door opened, revealing Trina and Kon. "Trina!" Laney exclaimed. "We thought you and Kon drowned!"

"Well if you want to wait a few minutes..." Kon said.

"We don't have time for that," Trina said. "Robot swordfish are attacking us and not even the cannons can help. Did anyone come up with a plan to get out of here?"

"Uh..." Larry said.

* * *

BOOM!

Back on the surface, Carrie and her robot team were inspecting what was left of the makeshift submarine. "Tentaclebots, is there any sign of the Crafters?" she asked.

"SCANN-ING SUB-MA-RINE WRECK-AGE," a Tentaclebot reported. "NO SUR-VI-VORS DE-TEC-TED."

"Scuba cops, try to find their bodies," Carrie reported. "Let's take the remaining Crafters to Mayor Mellow and give him the good news. The Gifted One is no more."


	10. Infiltrate Mayor Mellow's Office

Back in Mayor Mellow's office, Carrie escorted the Crafters into a giant room. On the walls were millions of unknown people singing Everything is Awesome, talking about how great Geeks and Girls is, and anything else that normal people did. "Hello Crafters," Mayor Mellow said. "Welcome to the Brain Drainer Room."

"All the Crafters you captured over the years..." the cross-eyed pony said as she was being strapped into a cell. "You kept them all here?!"

"Exactly," Mayor Mellow explained. "This room drains all of their creativity, reducing them to mindless drones, just like everyone else in the universe."

"But why?!" the cross-eyed pony asked. "Why do so much to cancel our universe?!"

"I have no other choice," Mayor Mellow answered. "I must cancel the universe. Before...they do."

"What?" the cross-eyed pony exclaimed. "Who's 'they'? "Why would you cancel the universe before someone el-"

ZAP!

"Everything is awesome!" the no longer cross-eyed pony sang. "Everything is cool when you're part of a team!"

Even with all the remaining Crafters captured, Mayor Mellow noticed someone was missing. "Carrie, where is the Gifted One?" he asked. "You said that tracking device your sister sewed to his hat while he was knocked out would work!"

Both the Gifted One and the Pick of Destiny are at the bottom of the ocean," Carrie explained. "The scuba cops are currently looking for his remains."

"But you don't have him?" Mayor Mellow asked. "He could still be alive with the Pick!"

"The tentaclebots did a thorough scan," Carrie said. "All that was left was numerous submarine wreckage."

* * *

Out in the ocean, a guitar-shaped coffin finally came to the surface. Then the lid opened, revealing Corey, Laney, Larry, Kin, Kon, Trina, and Uni-Kitty, who quickly shook her head to get out of her seasick state. "At least we're still alive," Trina said.

"Yeah!" Uni-Kitty cheered.

"The guitar-shaped coffin," Laney said. "It wasn't a useless thing after all."

"It appears its dimensional properties allowed all of us to fit," Kin pointed out.

"I always believed in you Corey," Trina said with a smile.

"I don't mean to spoil the celebration, but does anyone notice we're stuck in the middle of the ocean?" Larry asked. "I mean it's not like a giant ship is going to come out of nowhere and rescue us."

Suddenly, a squeaking sound slowly faded in, getting louder and louder with every second. It was soon revealed what the source of the squeaking was: millions of mice that flew by running! They were pulling what appeared to be a gigantic carriage-shaped cloud that was piloted by Ashlynn. "Hey you guys!" she called out. "I'm back!" She then leaned on the side of the carriage and picked up the coffin with one hand, placing it on the sturdy cloud surface inside. That allowed the Crafters to exit the coffin.

"Ashlynn Ella?" Kon asked. "I thought you called Corey a traitor."

"I changed my mind," Ashlynn said with a shrug.

"So, why did you come back?" Uni-Kitty asked, her whole body covered in yarn.

"This guitar-shaped coffin," Ashlynn explained. "I saw Carrie and her team ignore it. That means we need more ideas like it."

"More ideas like mine?" Corey asked hopefully.

"Ideas so bland and simple that Mayor Mellow wouldn't ever suspect it was from the Crafters," Ashlynn continued.

"So Corey, what should we do next?" Trina asked.

Corey thought carefully about what he should say. "It's obvious," he said. "What's the last thing Mayor Mellow expects Crafters to do?"

"Build a spaceship," Kin and Kon said in unison.

"Blow dry a chicken," Trina guessed.

"Marry a marshmallow!" Uni-Kitty piped in. Everyone just looked at her. "What?" she asked. "I legalized marshmallow marriage last week!"

"You're all wrong," Corey said. "It's work together."

"But us Crafters do work together," Kin pointed out. "Kon and I can build amazing spaceships."

"Not like that!" Corey began. He looked at the group of Crafters that surrounded him and spoke up again. "Let me tell you, each of you are extremely talented and imaginative. You've all got what it takes to be groundbreakers! But the thing is, while you're all great alone, you can't really work together as a team! And right now we need that more than anything. Now, I'm just a musician. I play backup. And you're probably thinking 'What does a backup guitarist know about working as a team?' and I'll be honest. Not a great deal. I never paid attention to my bandmates, I never had any friends. But you guys are different. You're not like me. You're not losers or sheep. You're Crafters. And I've seen what you can do. If we can find some way to combine all of your talents in harmony with my plan, and I do have a plan, we can be unstoppable! We can save this world and all the others!"

Corey took a deep breath after his speech, finally letting the nerves go. He looked at everyone again. Larry and Trina were smiling. Laney looked hopeful. Kin and Kon were grinning with delight. Uni-Kitty had to blink away tears. "That was wonderful, Corey," Ashlynn spoke.

"Yeah!" Kin and Kon agreed.

"A nice speech, dearest brother. Well done," Trina complimented.

Corey smiled. "So who's with me?" He held out his arms, warranting a small cheer from the Crafters. "Let's get off this cloud and take the fight to Mellow! Let's bring him down once and for all!" As he continued to speak, the cheers grew louder.

"Crafters unite!" the Gifted One cried. His fellow Crafters roared loudly.

* * *

And so, Corey assembled a plan, using terrible stick figure sketches for illustration. "Okay guys, Operation Save the Universe is now in play!" Corey said. "I spent my entire childhood living in Mayor Mellow's office. I know all where all the air ducts and wiring are located just by looking around."

"But how will we get inside?" Trina asked.

"In a spaceship," Corey answered.

Kin and Kon gasped in unison. "Spaceship time!" they exclaimed before they went to work.

"You mean a _safe_ spaceship," Larry corrected.

"You're wrong," Corey said. "He's expecting us to show up in a safe spaceship, or a pumpkin spaceship, or even a rainbow-sparkle spaceship." Uni-Kitty gasped and went all sparkly-eyed upon hearing 'rainbow-sparkle spaceship'. "The plan is all about an infiltration, so we're going to need an exact replica of Mayor Mellow's delivery spaceships."

Kin and Kon, however, were already working on a retro spaceship. "So not this special spaceship we're already working on?" Kin asked.

"Nope," Corey answered.

"Awww..." Kon muttered.

Larry looked at Corey's blueprints. "Does any of you know how to create a hyperdrive from scratch?"

"Wait, you need a hyperdrive?" Ashlynn asked. "I happen to have one."

"Great!" Corey said. "Where is it?"

"All the way up there," Ashlynn explained, pointing to a very high shelf. "Though why I created a shelf so high that I can't reach it is beyond me."

While everyone was discussing what to do, Uni-Kitty noticed something in the corner of her eye. It was a large trash can attached to some wood. "Guys?" she called out. "What's this thing?" Unfortunately, no one heard her. Curious, she climbed up to the hole in the trash can and peaked in. "Hello?" she asked, sticking her head further in. Soon after that her forearms fell in along with her head, then her upper body. "Uh-Oh!" Uni-Kitty spoke to herself as she fell into the trash can completely. Looking back up at the hole, she cried out "Help! Help!"

Thanks to her cries being amplified by the trash can, the group finally noticed her. "Uni-Kitty?" Laney called. "Uni-Kitty?"

"It came from there!" Ashlynn exclaimed, pointing to the trach can. "From my trash can cannon!"

"Why is she in there?" Laney asked.

"Hmm... It appears she wishes to use herself as a cannonball so she can knock down the hyperdrive," Kin theorized.

"Really?" Corey asked.

"Can someone help me please?!" Uni-Kitty asked, her paws wiggling in an attempt to escape her new prison.

Not listening to her, Kon spoke "That's gotta be it! Come on, Kin! Let's help her out!"

With that, the twins rushed over to the cannon to launch their friend. _"Who knew Uni-Kitty was so brave?"_ Laney thought.

Soon enough, the brothers reached the cannon. "Don't worry, Uni-Kitty!" Kin said. "You'll be out of there soon!"

The pink, fluffy hybrid smiled. "Yes! Thank you!"

"Just gotta aim it right!" Kon said, moving the cannon so it would fire at the right angle. "That should do it!"

"That should do what?" asked a confused Uni-Kitty.

Kin lit up the cannon. "Fire the Uni-Kitty!" he and Kon announced.

"Fire the Uni-Kitty?!" Uni-Kitty's eyes widened in fear. "Wait, no! Don't fire me!"

BOOM!

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Uni-Kitty screamed as she soared all the way to the shelf, leaving a rainbow arch behind her. Uni-Kitty's face met the cloud wall with a 'CRASH!' sound even though the wall was very soft, being made of clouds. The shock was enough to force the hyperdrive to fall from the shelf, landing on the floor of the carriage. The Crafters quickly moved it before Uni-Kitty herself landed.

"Erm... Uni-Kitty?" Corey asked softly. The princess slowly rose to her paws, stumbling in place as small clouds floated around her head. "Please don't make me do it again..." she whimpered as the clouds turned into rainbows. Uni-Kitty then fell on her back from exaustion. Just then, the rainbows turned into butterflies. "Ooh! Butterflies!" Uni-Kitty said as she tried to bat the imaginary insects.

"I think she's going to be fine." Laney smiled.

* * *

With the hyperdrive obtained, Corey instructed the Crafters with what to do. "We need that red piece over at the- Uni-Kitty!"

Uni-Kitty looked up from her work. She had taken a break from her section and stacked some colorful discs, topping it off with three white flowers. "Yeah?" she asked.

"We're supposed to be working on an exact replica," Corey said. "The slightest change can send off the alarms."

"Oh, come on!" Uni-Kitty said. "I just let myself get shot out a cannon! You won't let me put a few flowers on the ship as compensation?"

"Sorry! We need to make this ship look exactly like any other so we can have the element of surprise!" Corey explained.

"Oh... Okay." Uni-Kitty said sadly. "I just wanted to do something special. I just really miss my life..."

Laney overheard the conversation, so she walked over to the young princess. "Come on Uni-Kitty," she said. "Please focus."

"I can't!" Uni-Kitty suddenly blurted out. "First the bullying, then the fire, and now the destruction of my kingdom! Can't anything good happen in my life?!"

"Is this about what happened between us?" Laney asked,

"YOU ABANDONED ME!" Uni-Kitty shouted. "You left me on that cloud and you never came back! I waited... I waited for you for hours! Because I had faith... I believed in you! You promised you'd come back. You lied to me. You lied... Why would you do that? Friends don't lie, Laney! And why do you let others call you that? Have you forgotten everything?"

Laney was surprised by that sudden outburst. "No Uni-Kitty," she said. "I didn't forget and I didn't abandon you. I saved you."

"From what?" Uni-Kitty asked.

"From being the Last One," Laney answered. "I didn't want you to carry that burden."

"I didn't get a choice," Uni-Kitty stated.

Laney sighed. "I know, Uni-Kitty," the red-haired girl said. "But...you're my best friend. I had to carry the burden of being the Last One. After all, you built your own kingdom and you seemed happy about it. Not as happy as you once were, but happy regardless."

"I missed you..." Uni-Kitty whimpered.

Laney smiled. "And I missed you too."

"Why couldn't we have shared the burden?" Uni-Kitty asked.

"Because you're only one year old," Laney answered. "I know that's fifteen human years, but you're still young."

"I think I could have coped," Uni-Kitty stated. "Besides, I don't want you to suffer alone. From now on, we suffer together. We're the Last Ones. Laney and Uni-Kitty. As it was back then, as it is right now."

Laney didn't respond. "I'm here," Uni-Kitty said, nuzzling Laney. "I'll always be here. Don't ever leave me again, Laney! Please?"

With that, Laney's green eyes started to tear up. "Alright." She kneeled and hugged Uni-Kitty. "Besties forever?"

"Forever and ever and ever!" Uni-Kitty squealed as she hugged Laney, her big blue eyes tearing up as well.

* * *

When the delivery spaceship replica was finished, Corey went over the rest of the plan. "Okay guys," Corey said. "Once we get past the security guard, we'll head for Mayor Mellow's relic room for disguises. At this point we'll split into groups. Kin, Kon, and Ashlynn, head for the master control room to disable the laser shields. Trina, stay on lookout and alert us if someone gets suspicious."

"There's just one problem," Ashlynn said. "Mayor Mellow wears the Paralysis Belt all the time."

"I already know how to fix that," Corey continued. "Larry and Uni-Kitty, you two go to the boardroom and convince Mayor Mellow to take off the Belt. Once that's taken care of, Laney and I will track it down so I can make it come in contact with the Pick of Destiny-" He noticed a picture he didn't draw. "Who drew this picture of me freezing?"

"I did," Trina answered. "When the Belt and the Pick touch, the two metals will overreact and literally freeze up, along with anyone nearby."

Corey's eyes widened. "You mean that my job as the Gifted One is to turn into a human popsicle so the universe can live on?!"

Trina nodded. "Sorry Corey," she said.

And so, Corey's plan went into action. "PLEASE SHOW ME YOUR SPACE I-D," the robot security guard said.

"I have a drive on," Larry said, sitting at the controls.

"WHO ARE YOU HEAR TO SEE?" the guard asked.

"I'm here to see Peter Parker," Larry answered.

"WE DO NOT HAVE A MIS-TER PETE-R PARK-ER," the guard said. "PLEASE LEAVE I-MME-DI-ATE-"

ZAP!

Kin retracted his space taser. "You're welcome," he said.

With the guard knocked out, Larry pulled out his lucky token and flipped it. To his surprise, the token hit the buttons successfully. "Wow," he said, catching the token and putting it back in his jeans pocket. "First try."

* * *

Inside the building, the group split up. Ashlynn and the spaceman twins were heading for the heading for the master control room. Sure enough, the motion censors went off and two robots showed up. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE," one of the robots said.

But Ashlynn took action. She rapidly swung her solid gold purse and whacked it at the robots, dismantling them. "Ashlynn, that was amazing!" Kon exclaimed.

"First law of princess training," Ashlynn explained. "Always carry something you can turn into a weapon."

Inside the control room, Kin went to work on disabling the shields. "Alright computer," he said. "Disable all shield systems."

**There are no movies in your area with that title.**

Kin groaned. This could take a while...


End file.
